Method of making water gas



May 14, 1929.

C. DAVIES, JR

METHOD OF MAKING WATER GAS Filed March 18. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet l 60/627l7a mm Jr? ATTORYEA' i be used.

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Patented May 14, 1929. I

came DAVIES, an,

0 POLAND, OHIO.

ME'JPHUD OF MAKING WATER GAS.

Application filed March 18, 1922. Serial No. 544,938.

The present improvements relate more particularly to an arrangement ofapparatus and method of operation thereof whereby so-called blue watergas may be madeat unusually high thermal efficiency and with resultanthigh yield of good gas per ton fuel. The general procedure involved inthe manufacture of water gas is ofcourse well understood, and attentionherein need accordingly be directed only to the novel fealures whichinclude the combination, with the water gas generator proper, of aplural ity of regenerators suitably connected w th such generator sothat an increased quantity of fuel may be reduced by the regeneration ofheat from the. Water The arrangement of the parts of the apparatusfurthermore is such as to make it possible to reverse the blow as wellas the run, which contributes to the thermal efficiency of the plantbecause when the exit gases at both ends are equal in temperature thelatter is at a minimum.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention,then, consists of the means and steps hereinafter fully described andparticularly pointed out in the claims; the annexed drawing and thefollowing description setting forth in-detail certain means and one modeof carrying out the invention, such disclosed means and modeillustrating, however, but one of various Ways in which the principle ofthe invention may In said annexed drawing Fig. 1 is a diagrammaticrepresentation, on the order of a flow sheet, of an apparatus or plantfor making water gas in aecordaiu-e with my invention; Figs. 1 and 1"are diagrammati-e representations showing modified details of suchapparatus; Fig. 2 is a similar diagrammatic representation of a modifiedform of apparatus; and Fig. 3 diagrammatically illustrates still another detail modification.

Referring first of all to Fig. 1, already indicated, the centralfeatures of the apparatus are the Water-gas generator 1, which ispreferably of the slagging type similar to an iron cupola, and twosimilar regenerators in the formof checker-work towers 2 and 3preferably symmetrically arranged with respect to said generator 1.Leading to the bottom of said water-gas generator 1, from the topsofregenerators 2 and 3 respectively, are valve controlled buck-linedinsulated from a steam main connection is had with said pipes 2 and 3while two similar pipes 2 and 3 lead from the top-of said generator tothe tops of the respective chambers 2 and 3. Auxiliary air from supplypipes 4 and 5 may be introduced into said last-mentioned pipes 2 and 3and the regrenerators 2 and 3 through suitable valve-controlledconnections 6 and 7 when found desirable.

Steam and the main supply of air are supplied to the respectiveregenerators 2 and 3 8 and an air main 9, from which branchedvalve-controlled connectionslO, 11, for the air, and 12, 13, for thesteam, lead to the bottom of regenerator 2' and the bottom ofregent-rater 3, re spectively. It will be understood that the steam andair thus supplied from mains 8 and 9 will be under suitable pressure,particularly the air, so that an air blast is produced through thechecker work in the regenerators 2 or 3 as the case nmy be when main 9.The auxiliary air supplied from mains 4 and 5 may be hot if desired. Thesteam supplied from main 8 will preferably be sul'u 'iwated low-pressuresteam.

For removing the products of combustion or gas, as the case may be, fromthe regenerators 2 and 3, valve-controlled pipes 1 1 and 15 lead fromthe bottom portions thereof, re spectively, to a common line 16, one endof which, (the left-hand end as shown) in turn leads to a wash box andrelief holder, connection with the latter being controlled by a suitablevalve; while the other end leads, through a valve connection 16, to acoke prchealier 17 and thence to a stack or induced draft fun (notshown), as desired. The echo preheuter will preferably be a rotary cylindcr drier of the counter-flow type.

The preferred operation of the aforesaid apparatus is carried out inrepeating; cycles of four periods each, as will now be described indetail, viz- (1) The air blast from main 9 is connected with checkerchamber or regenerator 2, which is assumed to have been heated by blastgases previously, and passes upwardly therethrough so as to be heated,and thence proceeds through pipe 2 to the bottom of water gas generator1 to blastthe fuel bed. to incandesccnce. From the generator the blastgases pass through pipe 3 to the top of checker chamber or regenerator3, auxib iary air being admitted from supply line 5 through connection 7in order to burn any the checker mass is heated ve1y effectively, readyfor its turn in the cycle. The products of combustion pass downwardlythrough said checker chamber or regenerator 3 and .are thence conductedby pipes and 16 through the coke preheater 17 where the solid fuel to benext used in the generator is preheated, and, thence the said combustionproducts pass on to the stack or induced draft fan.

(2) The air blast being turned off, steam from main 8 is next suppliedto checker chamber or regenerator 3, passing thence through pipe 3 tothe bottom of the watergas generator 1 and making water-gas inaccordance with the well-known reaction, as it passes upwardly throughthe latter. The hot Water gas from the top of the generator 1 passesthrough pipe 2 to the top of the other checker chamber or regeuerator 2,

downwardlythrough the latter, and thence byway of pipes 14 and 16 to thewash box and relief holder.

(3) The operation during this period is the same as during period (1),but with the checker chambers or regenerators interchanged. I

(4) The operation during this period is the same as during period (2),but with, the checker chambers or regenerators interchanged.

The operation in the second period of the cycle just described may bechanged, if desired, by supplying steam from main 8 to checker chamberor regenerator 2 instead of 3, thence through pipe 2 to the bottom ofthe Water-gas generator. From the top of the latter, the hot gas passesthrough pipe 3 to the top of checker chamber or regenerator 3,

downwardly through the latter and thence by Wa of pipes 15 and 16 to thewash box and relief holder. The operation during period (4) will, ofcourse, be the same as that just described, but with'the checkerchambers or r'egenerators interchanged.

'As previously explained, the water-gas generator is preferably of theslaggin g type,

and in that case a suitable flux is charged with the fuel. Where someother fuel is used. instead of coke, because of relative cheapness orfor other reasons, such fuel will of course be handled in a fashionsuited to its character. Moreover, if desired, powdered coal may beutilized for preliminarily heating the bed of fuel in the generator,being introduced into the air blast immediately before, or as the airenters the watergas generator, as shown at 18, in Fig. 1.

As shown in the upper portion of Fig. 1, a preheater 17 for the fuel maybe conneoted to receive .a small quantity of the blast gases or hotwater gas directly from the generator 1, before suchgases pass intoregenerator 52 or 3; and as shown in Fig. 1,

the water-gas on its way to the chef holder may be utilized in anothersimilar preheater 1?.

' Instead of a single checker chamber or regencrator 2 and anothersingle checker chamber or regencrator 3, as hcreinbcfore described, Imay substitute a pair of such checker chambers for each of theforegoing, (see Fig. 1*), one unit within each such pair being in useduring run periods (2) and and idle during blow periods and (3). Theother unit in each pair would then be in use during blow periods andidle during run periods, thus avoiding danger of explosion, which mayexist where single chambers are employed. as in the illustratedarrangement, in case of careless operation. In other words, where suchsingle chambers are employed the water gas in either chamber at the endof the first run period should not be followed with too much excess airin the products of coml'iustion entering the same chamber at thebeginning of the following blow periods. In this way I avoid necessityof purging and explosion danger due to valve leakage.

Instead of using first one, theulhe other, (if two rcgcncratorsintereonncctcd with the water-gas generator and the steam and airsupplies, as in the plan shown in Fig. l, I may interconnect suchgenerator 1 with regcncralors :5 and 2-3 by means of ducts .20 and 21 sothat they may be reversibly operated in series, as shown in Fig. 3. Thelower ends of the rcgcncrators will then be respectively connectedthrough ducts 22, 23, with the air supply line 9, through duels 2i, withthe steam supply line 8, through ducts 26, 27, with a line 28, throughwhich the blast products are designed to be discharged. and throughducts 2f), 80-, with a similar line 31, through which the water gas isdesigned to be discharged, such lines 28 and 31 taking thb place of thecommon line 16 and the alternative connections therewith, shown inFig. 1. The several pairs of ducts thus connecting the lower ends of theregenerators with the lines 9, 8, 28 and 31 are all valve-controlled,and by proper manipulation thereof the following cycle of periods willbe secured, such operations corresponding with the four periods in thecyclic operation of the previously described apparatus, viz, the valvesin ducts 22 and 27 being opened and the other val closed air is forcedthrough renegcrator 2, thence through the water gas generator andthrough regen erator 3, and is discharged into the blast product line28. Next the valves in 1 es and are opened, ing closed, and as a to thewater-gas g er-ator 3 heated in We operation by the ucts therethrough,i:-

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lalaeaa gas from the generator 1 thence passes through'the regenerator 2and into the Water-gas main 31. In the third period the valves in lines23 and 26 are opened, the other valves being closed, with the resultthat the same operation occurs as in the first period, except the flowthrough the regenerators and the Water-gas generator is in the reversedirection. Finally the valves in ducts 24 and 30 are opened, the othervalves being closed, with the result that the operation in the secondperiod, described above, is repeated, but with the parts of theapparatus similarly connected up in reverse order.

While l have heretofore referred to re-. generators as being used inconnection With the Water-gas generator to recover the heat that wouldotherwise go to Waste, it Will be understood that recuperators may beutilized instead of suclrregenerators as a means for ellecting theexchange of heat. Such a recuperator 255 is shown in diagrammatic formin Fig. 8 as connected with the water-gas generator 1 in place of theregenerators 2 and 3 illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

By means of either of the foregoing arrangements of apparatus, ll amenabled readily to heat the air to a temperature above 500 degrees F.before passing it into the water-gas generator and the steam to anequally high temperature, this preliminary heating of the incominggasforming material being accomplished by means of heat obtained fromoutgoing gaseous products of a preceding step of the process. Theeconomy in operation thus effected Will be readily apparent. At the sametime an economy of equal importance is effected by preliminarily heatingthe solid fuel that is used in the Water-gas generator by passing theblast gases from the latter through a fuel preheater Where such gases orother products of combustion from the generator give up heat to suchsolid fuel.

. Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employedinstead of the one explained, change being made as regards the means andthe steps herein disclosed, provided those stated by any of thefollowing claims or their eqnivalentsbe en1- ployed.

ll therefore particularly point out and dis tinctly claim as myinvention 1. In a method of making water-gas, the steps which consist inblasting the fuel bed of a water-gas generator with air supplied througha highly heated heat-transfer chamber, discharging the blast-gas to heata sec- 0nd heat-transfer chamber and supplying air thereto forcombustion, then passing steam through the second heat-transfer chamberand to the fuel-bed of the generator, Whercby the ash of the latter ismaintained at a temperature for slagging conditions, discharging the hotWater-gas from the generator through the firstanentioned heat-transforchamber, and then blasting the fuel-bed of the generator with airsupplied therethrough and passing the hot products thence through fuelfor the generator.

2. In a method of making water-gas, the steps which consist 1n blastlngthe fuel-bed of a Water-gas generator With air supplied charging the hotwater-gas from the genera- L tor through the first-mentioned heattransfer chamber, and then blasting the fuel-bed of the generator Withair, and initially heating fuel for the generator by hot blast-gases andby hot water-gas.

Signed by me this 16th day of March, 1922.

CALEB DAVIES, JR.

